The Division of the Earth

11 The whole earth had one language and a single vocabulary. ² As people traveled in the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they settled there. ³ They said to one another, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used mud brick instead of stone for building material, and they used tar for mortar. ⁴ They said, “Come, let’s build a city for ourselves and a tower whose top reaches to the sky, and let’s make a name for ourselves, so that we will not be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.”

⁵ The Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the people were building. ⁶ The Lord said, “If this is the first thing they are doing as one people, who all have one language, then nothing that they intend to do will be too difficult for them. ⁷ Come, let’s go down there and confuse their language, so that they cannot understand one another’s speech.”

⁸ So the Lord scattered them from there over the face of the whole earth, and they stopped building the city. ⁹ It was named Babel,^[a] because there the Lord confused the language of the whole earth. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

²³ Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will hold on to my word. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. ²⁴ The one who does not love me does not hold on to my words. The word that you are hearing is not mine, but it is from the Father who sent me.

²⁵ “I have told you these things while staying with you. ²⁶ But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything I told you.

²⁷ “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, and do not let it be afraid.

The Holy Spirit Comes on Pentecost

2 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. ² Suddenly a sound like the rushing of a violent wind came from heaven, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³ They saw divided tongues that were like fire resting on each one of them. ⁴ They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, since the Spirit was giving them the ability to speak fluently.

⁵ Now there were godly Jewish men from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. ⁶ When this sound was heard, a crowd came together and was confused, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. ⁷ They were completely baffled and said to each other,^[a] “Look, are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? ⁸ Then how is it that each of us hears them speaking in his own native language? ⁹ Parthians, Medes, and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, and of Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰ Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt, and the parts of Libya around Cyrene; visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes; ¹¹ Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring in our own languages the wonderful works of God.” ¹² They were all amazed and perplexed. They kept saying to one another, “What does this mean?” ¹³ But others mocked them and said, “They are full of new wine.”

Peter’s Pentecost Message

¹⁴ Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and spoke loudly and clearly to them: “Men of Judea, and all you residents of Jerusalem, understand this, and listen closely to my words. ¹⁵ These men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only the third hour of the day.^{[b] 16} On the contrary, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: